WAVY.com

Community holds vigil one year after Codi Bigsby first reported missing

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) – Tuesday, Jan. 31 marks one year since four-year-old Codi Bigsby was first reported missing from his Hampton home.

Nearly 365 days later and there is still no sign of the little boy.


His father, Cory, is in jail on child neglect charges and is the only person of interest. On Monday, a vigil was held outside Buckroe Pointe Apartments, Codi’s former home, as the community vows to never stop searching.

“It’s amazing you know, how this community has come together,” said Nancy Strickland, a community volunteer.

Strickland has been a part of community searches for Codi Bigsby since day one and helped organize Monday night’s vigil, along with a number of community organizations – some created when Bigsby was first reported missing.

“We’ve done some hard work searching for him and we’re going to continue searching for him,” Strickland said.

After 364 days, Codi has yet to be found. For Strickland, it’s personal.

“What would I do if that was my child? My grandchildren? I think I would be dead from exhaustion right now because I wouldn’t have stopped,” Strickland said.

Stuffed animals, signs painted in blue and red and images of Spiderman, Codi’s favorite character, line the chain link fence next to Buckroe Pointe Apartments where Codi was last seen alive.

Blue and white tea lights illuminated the ground, spelling out “WE LOVE U CODI.”

“Let’s just light the sky up for Codi. Let’s bring Codi home,” Strickland said.

A group of complete strangers brought together with one common goal – bring Codi home.

“We’ll never stop until he’s brought home. I pray, I pray every night that we bring him home alive,” Strickland said.